The Da Vinci Code maintained much of its allure inthe international marketplace this weekend, in spite of competition from newultra-wide release X-Men: The Last Stand.

The X-Men sequel -- which had a record-breaking $107mNorth American debut and opened day-and-date in 95 other territories - couldstill emerge as the international marketplace's biggest performer: distributorFox International delayed issuing international figures until Monday,apparently because of the US Memorial Day holiday. But it appears to havefaced stiff competition from Da Vinci in several major markets.

In its second weekend, the Holy Grail-themed thriller fromSony Pictures Releasing International (SPRI) grossed an estimated $92.8m from12,038 screens in 82 territories, down a modest 40% from the film'srecord-breaking international opening haul of $154.7m. The gross put DaVinci's international total to date at an impressive $320m.

According to estimates issued by SPRI on Sunday, Da Vinciheld off Last Stand and retained number one spot in three major markets.In Germany, it fell just 13% to $11.6m from 1,165 screens, for a running totalin the territory of $29.8m. In Italy, it dropped 43% to $6.4m from 910 screens,for a $23.4m total. And in Spain it fell by the same percentage to $6.3m from752 screens, for a $20.7m total.

The film also took the top spot in two markets where itsblockbuster rival did not open: in Japan, Da Vinci fell only 19% to$9.15m from 865 screens (for a $32.8m total), and in Korea it was off 45% to$4m from 210 screens (total - $15.4m).

The film dropped to number two in other major markets, SPRIreported. In the UK it was down 49% to $8.9m from 107 screens (total - $34.7m).In France it was off a very healthy 30% to $8.4m from 969 screens (total -$23.3m). In Australia it dropped 52% to $3.2m from 560 (total - $11.9m). InMexico it fell 54% to $3m from 768 (total - $12.8m). And in Brazil it dived 61%to $2.8m from 534 (total $9.8m).

Da Vinci performed well in a number of smallermarkets, staying at number one in Holland (where it actually increased itsgross by 9%), Belgium (down only 2%), Switzerland (down 12%), Greece (down12%), Sweden (down 19%), Austria (down 31%), Denmark (down 49%) and Argentina(down 35%).

The film's only new market was India, where it opened with$655,000 from 120 screens and came in second to local hit Fanaa.

Paramount's Mission: Impossible III, distributed byUIP, also showed some international legs, dropping 48% to gross an estimated$12.1m from 5,022 locations in its fourth weekend.

MI3's best markets included Korea, where the grosswas down 45% to $2.2m (for a total of $31.1m); the UK, where the gross was off55% to $1.6m (for a $26m total); Germany, where the take was down just 23% to$1.1m (total - $9.3m); France, where a 41% drop led to a gross of $881,000(total - $13.4m); and Spain, where a 58% fall meant a $386,000 gross (total$8.3m).

Among other holdovers this weekend, Buena VistaInternational's (BVI) animated The Wild opened in the UK and grossed anestimated $1.9m from 500 screens, good enough for third place in the territory.The film should benefit from the availability of family audiences on Monday, aholiday in the UK.

Overall, the BVI children's entry grossed $2.9m over theweekend, from 1,963 screens in 30 territories. With several major territoriesstill to open, the film's international total reached $35.5m, passing thedisappointing $35.2m domestic take.

Meanwhile BVI's Scary Movie 4, which also has somemajor markets still to go, grossed $600,000 from 1,508 screens in 28territories, bringing its international total to $64.1m.

Warner Bros International's Poseidon continued itsgradual Asian rollout, grossing an estimated $2.11m (439,000 admissions) from520 prints in seven territories.

The disaster movie opened in Taiwan with a gross (includingpreviews) of $1.67m (224,000 admissions) from 145 prints, which is expected torank the film number one in the market. The performance in Taipei was betterthan those by The Last Samurai and The Perfect Storm, and on apar with that of Pearl Harbor.

Warner's local acquisition Volver grossed anestimated $1.27m from 310 prints over its second weekend in Italy. Theperformance of Pedro Almodovar's latest work was better than the second-weekItalian showings of the director's Bad Education, All About My Motherand Talk To Her and brought the film's total for the territory to$3.47m.

Universal and Imagine's Curious George had its firstinternational openings this weekend and, through distributor UIP, grossed anestimated $1.4m from 742 dates in four territories.

In the UK, the animated version of the classic children'sstory lost out in head-to-head competition with The Wild and placedfifth in the local chart with an estimated $710,000 from 316 dates.

In Germany, George opened with a solid $500,000 from346 dates, coming in ninth.

Universal's UIP-distributed Inside Man grossed anestimated $650,000 from 650 dates in 20 territories, bringing the film'sinternational total to $87m.

The studio's Nanny McPhee continued to play in 10territories and raised its international total to $74.2m (including $67.6m fromUIP).

DreamWorks Animation's Over The Hedge, another familyoffering from UIP, grossed an estimated $570,000 from 137 locations in threeAsian territories.

In its second weekend in the international marketplace, theCG film took $309,000 from 26 locations in Singapore (for a $910,000 total inthe territory); $132,000 from 42 locations in Malaysia (for a $389,000 total);and $127,000 from 69 locations in the Philippines (for a $412,000 total).